Episode 51: Lymphedema Treatment and Surgery for Breast Cancer Patients

March 1, 2024, was the first day of lymphedema awareness month. We hope you will share this information with the embedded podcast in your community for breast cancer patients affected by lymphedema providing them with the resources needed to treat this condition and let them know there are specialists in surgical treatment options as well. I am pleased to provide this summary of Episode 51: Lymphedema Treatment and Surgery for Breast Cancer Patients. A Specialist in the Field of Lymphedema Treatment My guest is Dr. Charles Anton Fries, Chief of Plastic Surgery and faculty surgeon at UT Health San Antonio and works as a microsurgeon with the team at PRMA, Plastic Reconstructive Microsurgical Associates, in San Antonio. The management of lymphedema has seen significant improvement in the past few years. We will educate, dispel some fears surrounding the possible occurrence of lymphedema, and bring you some resources for care. The Continue Reading →

Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment of BIA/ALCL

Any surgery is not without risks. Using a medical device like a breast implant is no different. This is the focus of our discussion in a summary of the DiepCJourney podcast, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment of BIA/ALCL. Four million women across the globe have undergone breast augmentation using a medical device called a breast implant. This is done for reasons such as cosmesis or enhancement of the breast, trauma to the chest wall or for oncological reasons, meaning for breast cancer and the breast implant is used to replace breast tissue affected by or lost due to these two reasons, breast cancer or chest wall trauma. Meet A Leading Expert in the Field I talked to a leading expert in the field about the medical definition of breast implant associated (BIA) anaplastic large cell lymphoma, an uncommon form of ALCL. I interviewed Mark Clemens, MD, MBA, FACS. After receiving his Continue Reading →

Achieving Symmetry and Understanding Fat Grafting in Breast Reconstruction

This is a summary of the video and podcast interview with Dr. Tim Matatov of Southwest Breast and Aesthetics in the Phoenix, Scottsdale, Arizona area. When I see hundreds of views of a video and close to two hundred podcast downloads I also like to provide a written summary for readers to hit on all learning modalities and preferences. I will include the YouTube video of Achieving Symmetry and Understanding Fat Grafting in this blog post. You can listen to the podcast here: How Mastopexy Achieves Symmetry in Breast Reconstruction We begin with a topic that is often asked about in the breast cancer community served at DiepCFoundation, mastopexy in the setting of breast reconstruction. A mastopexy is a breast lift. Dr. Matatov points out that whether a person has a single breast reconstruction with their own tissue, and implant, or oncoplastic reconstruction, sometimes the contralateral breast will not match Continue Reading →

Episode 39 The London Breast Meeting Recap

This podcast was recorded prior to The London Breast Meeting with the Rob Pupelis and Elizabeth Van Thillo of T-Stat along with Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo of PRMA. The meeting took place in early September at the Royal College of Physicians. Shortly after the recording this summer, Dr. C posted on his LinkedIn account. He stated, “Great way to kick off a Saturday! Looking forward to part two at the London Breast Meeting!” This blog summary of Episode 39 of the DiepCJourney podcast is the London Breast Meeting Recap and what took place those fantastic days during the conference. We will call it part three! Rob Shares His Thoughts on Discovery at the London Breast Meeting I invited my guests to share a realistic analysis of what they expected to get from the conference. Beyond the travel, there is a great amount of thought and preparation that goes into attending conferences optimizing Continue Reading →

Episode 4: Freudenspanne, the Real Reason We Want to Live Longer

I recorded Episode 4: Freudenspanne, the Real Reason We Want to Live Longer, in February of 2022. But I came to realize how timely this interview is as I prepare to attend the London Breast Meeting 2023. I have been asked to speak on a topic closely related to what my podcast guest, Zack Varkaris and I chat about.   I have been asked to speak on the topic of the impact of lifestyle factors on breast cancer risk and survivorship: nutrition, exercise and beyond. As I listened to this podcast again while on the elliptical today, it truly resonates with me as I prepare to leave for London. So much of what Zack speaks about, finding joy in life, healthy eating, exercise, who we connect with, our lifestyle choices, is pertinent to the importance of embracing these choices in breast cancer survivorship. How I Learned to Embrace the Philosophy of Continue Reading →

Democratization in Microsurgery: The Proximie System

Democratization is a noun. The meaning of democratization as it pertains to microsurgery is the action of making training and education available through technology, in this case, microsurgery in breast reconstruction. The chosen field of microsurgery requires hours of training and practice. Observing colleagues perform this sophisticated and complex surgery increases their own skill set with the primary goal being improving patient outcomes in breast reconstruction. My guests are going to discuss their cross-continental experience working live in the operating theater practicing democratization in microsurgery using the Proximie System. An Introduction of the Microsurgeons Using the Proximie System I invited back to the DiepCJourney podcast two internationally known microsurgeons. Dr. Joe Dusseldorp practices in Sydney, Australia and is a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of surgeons. He has a keen interest in microsurgery and did his training overseas to achieve this status. He is also trained to do robotic Continue Reading →

Episode 20: Planning Your Breast Reconstruction

You have been diagnosed with breast cancer or find you are at high risk of getting breast cancer and are facing a mastectomy. Now what? If you choose to reconstruct your breast what does this process look like? Dr. Santosh Kale, MD, MBA is my guest on Episode 20 and planning your Breast Reconstruction, of the DiepCJourney podcast . He is a board-certified Plastic and reconstructive microsurgeon who practices in Gahanna, Ohio at Midwest Breast and Aesthetic Surgery outside of Columbus, Ohio. Along with his team at Midwest Breast he specializes in breast reconstruction (implant and tissue-based), aesthetic breast surgery, body contouring, and lymphedema surgery. Patient Considerations in Planning Their Breast Reconstruction Patients are inundated with information at the beginning of a diagnosis or finding they have a genetic mutation. They see an oncologist, breast surgeon, plastic surgeon, radiologist, and other medical specialists. Where does a patient begin the research and planning for their Continue Reading →

Episode 19: Efficient DIEP Flaps

DIEP flaps are a type of breast reconstruction using a patient’s own tissue to reconstruct breasts after mastectomy for those affected by breast cancer. DIEP stands for deep inferior epigastric perforators. Epigastric refers to the abdominal area. The underlying tissue and perforators (blood vessels) are disconnected by the microsurgeon from the abdominal area and transplanted to the breast area to create soft, warm, tissue much like the breasts removed during mastectomy. We hope Episode 19: Efficient DIEP Flaps, has piqued your curiosity. Efficient DIEP Flaps Study To do an efficient DIEP flap requires years of training, skill, planning, and a team. My guest, Dr. Nicholas Haddock is one of the Breast Reconstruction Team at UT – Southwestern Department of Plastic Surgery in Dallas, TX. He works with Dr. Sumeet Teotia performing state of the art autologous breast reconstruction in the Dallas/Fort Worth area in Texas. In our discussion we reference the PRS Global Continue Reading →

Episode 9: Shared Decision-Making

When it comes to making decisions in your healthcare, my guest, Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo and I present the first in a series on the topic of shared decision-making in the summary of Episode 9: Shared Decision-Making on the DiepCJourney podcast. Toliman Health was founded by Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo, an internationally recognized expert in breast cancer reconstruction and shared decision-making. Dr. Chrysopoulo is the creator of Toliman’s flagship app, Breast Advocate® As co-leads of the WHIS Shared Decision-Making Expert Group our goal is to facilitate the adoption and practice of shared decision-making (SDM) throughout healthcare systems and across all medical disciplines. The “why” of the informative approach to decisions in healthcare is multi-faceted. It encompasses the patient’s preferences, values, support system, and expectations for outcomes. Back to Our Favorite Topic: Shared Decision-Making It is important in so many ways. Shared decision-making is not actually a new concept. It has been around since the 1980’s. Being one of Continue Reading →

Episode 2: Sexual Health Needs After Cancer

Dr. Don Dizon is our guest on season 2, Episode 2: Sexual Health Needs After Cancer, of the DiepCJourney podcast. What are we discussing? Sexual health needs after cancer, a topic patients often have to bring up themselves to discuss with health care providers. Dr. Dizon tells us why this is the case and empowers patients with information to talk about this with specialists in cancer care regarding sexual health needs after cancer.  Don S. Dizon, MD, FACP, FASCO is Director of the Pelvic Malignancies Program and Founder of the Oncology Sexual Health First Responders Program, Lifespan Cancer Institute. He is the director of medical oncology at Rhode Island Hospital. Be sure to check out the DiepCFoundation YouTube video on the same topic with Dr. Dizon. What is the Definition of Sexual Health Needs After Cancer? I begin by recognizing the topic of sexual health is not often spoken about in clinic. Continue Reading →